Ephesians 1:13-14 – Sealed by the Holy Spirit

God’s plan to redeem man not only included the work of His sovereign will but also the redemptive work of Christ, and the seal of the Holy Spirit. So when Paul started verse 13, he said, “In Him, you also ….” By that he meant to tell the Gentiles that when they heard the message of truth, and believed in Christ, they were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit, whom believers are sealed, is the deposit that will guarantee his or her inheritance in God. This is the initial endowment indicating to believers that there’s more to come.

In verse 14, we are told that believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the redemption of God’s own possession. What does the redemption of God’s own possession mean? Paul was not referring to a believer’s release from the guilt of sin but his ultimate release from the presence of sin. As with what he had mentioned previously, Paul again said that this should also provide the reason for us, believers, to live a life to cause His name to be praised.

In summary, we see that God the Father initiated the plan for our salvation in eternity past; Jesus the Son came and went to the Cross to redeem us, and the Holy Spirit now seals and guarantees our redemption. In these we are left with two important lessons. Firstly: that we are precious to God, that the entire Trinity should be involved in our redemption. And secondly: since God so highly values us, we must now reciprocate by living a life that will cause His name to be praised. And truly, He deserves all the praise!